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Father's
Day Short
Stories for Kids
Printable Children's Literature

Father's
Day Short
Stories

The Adventures of Pinocchio - Chapter
26

In the morning, bright and early, Pinocchio
started for school.

Imagine what the boys said when they saw a Marionette
enter the classroom! They laughed until they cried. Everyone
played tricks on him. One pulled his hat off, another
tugged at his coat, a third tried to paint a mustache under
his nose. One even attempted to tie strings to his feet
and
his hands to make him dance.

For a while Pinocchio was very calm and quiet. Finally,
however, he lost all patience and turning to his tormentors,
he said to them threateningly:

"Careful, boys, I haven't
come here to be made fun of.
I'll respect you and I want you to respect me."

"Hurrah for Dr. Know-all!
You have spoken like a
printed book!" howled the boys, bursting with laughter.
One of them, more impudent than the rest, put out his
hand to pull the Marionette's nose.

But he was not quick enough, for Pinocchio stretched
his leg under the table and kicked him hard on the shin.

"Oh, what hard feet!" cried
the boy, rubbing the spot
where the Marionette had kicked him.

"And what elbows! They are
even harder than the feet!"
shouted another one, who, because of some other trick,
had received a blow in the stomach.

As the days passed into weeks, even the teacher praised
him,
for he saw him attentive, hard working, and wide awake,
always the first to come in the morning, and the last
to leave when school was over.

Pinocchio's only fault was that he had too many friends.
Among these were many well-known rascals, who cared
not a jot for study or for success.

The teacher warned him each day, and even the good
Fairy repeated to him many times:

"Take care, Pinocchio! Those
bad companions will
sooner or later make you lose your love for study.
Some day they will lead you astray."

"There's no such danger," answered
the Marionette,
shrugging his shoulders and pointing to his forehead as
if
to say, "I'm too wise."

So it happened that one day, as he was walking to school,
he met some boys who ran up to him and said:

"Have you heard the news?"

"No!"

"A Shark as big as a mountain
has been seen near the shore."

"Really? I wonder if it
could be the same one I heard
of when my father was drowned?"

"We are going to see it.
Are you coming?"

"No, not I. I must go to
school."

"What do you care about
school? You can go there tomorrow.
With a lesson more or less, we are always the same donkeys."

"And what will the teacher
say?"

"Let him talk. He is paid
to grumble all day long."

"And my mother?"

"Mothers don't know anything," answered
those scamps.

"Do you know what I'll do?" said
Pinocchio.
"For certain reasons of mine, I, too, want to see that
Shark;
but I'll go after school. I can see him then as well as
now."

"Poor simpleton!" cried one of the boys. "Do
you think
that a fish of that size will stand there waiting for you?
He turns and off he goes, and no one will ever be the wiser."

"How long does it take from here to the shore?" asked
the Marionette.
"One hour there and back."

"Very well, then. Let's see who gets there first!" cried
Pinocchio.

At the signal, the little troop, with books under their
arms,
dashed across the fields. Pinocchio led the way, running
as if on wings, the others following as fast as they could.

Now and again, he looked back and, seeing his followers
hot and tired, and with tongues hanging out, he laughed
out heartily. Unhappy boy! If he had only known then
the dreadful things that were to happen to him on account
of his disobedience!

This story comes from The Adventures of Pinocchio, by
C. Collodi [Pseudonym of Carlo Lorenzini]